I need to talk.

[progree]

36. What's your blood alcohol content (BAC) when driving after 3-4 mini bottles?

I have a pattern: every other day, stop after work, get 3-4 mini bottles, a pint of something, and a Coke. Drink the minis and the Coke while driving home. ...

For me, using the 180 pound male formula --

BAC = (24 * numStandardDrinks - 16 * numHours) / 1000.

The mini-bottles I've seen are 50ml (1.69 fluid oz.) 80 proof (40% alcohol), thus containing 0.676 oz pure alcohol.

A standard drink on which this particular formula is based on is 0.6 oz. (it is also the definition of "standard drink" by the U.S. government, e.g. Center for Disease Control and NIAAA.NIH.GOV

So each mini-bottle is 0.676 oz / 0.600 oz = 1.127 standard drinks

So 3 mini-bottles over the course of an hour = (24 * 3 * 1.127 - 16 * 1)/1000 = .065 BAC (a bit below the 0.08 legal limit)

So 4 mini-bottles over the course of an hour = (24 * 4 * 1.127 - 16 * 1)/1000 = .087 BAC (nearly 10% above the 0.08 legal limit)

Anyway, that's if you are a 180 pound male. There are different coefficients for different weights (and a whole different set for females). The more you weigh, the lower the BAC, and vice versa. Anyway, there are a lot of BAC calculators on the net -- try 3 or 4. Google: "blood alcohol content calculators" or "blood alcohol content tables"

Even if you are under the legal threshold, there is this to consider: a "Zador Study" -- Relative Risk of Fatal Crash Involvement by BAC, Age, and Gender, NHTSA April 2000 http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/809-050pdf.pdf

According to that study, at a BAC of 0.07, (7/8 of the legal limit) a person is 11 times more likely to be involved in a fatal automobile accident; and at 0.12 a person is 48 times more likely. (For reference, the basic DUI threshold in all states now is 0.08% BAC).

So even being under the legal limit does not mean it is ethical and moral to drive that impaired! And as far as legality, being involved in a car accident above 0.02 or 0.03 or so will mean "alcohol was a contributing factor" and that's not good news. Lots of prison time if someone is killed.